The Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area in Allschwil will gradually be expanded to cover more than double its current area by 2028. The four new buildings envisaged by the expansion plans will come at a cost of around 350 million Swiss francs, a bill which is to be footed by the private capital investment firm Senn Resources from St.Gallen. Together with the main building opened 12 months ago, this will form the Main Campus area. Moreover, with the Jura site in Courroux und Novartis Campus in Basel, the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area also operates two further locations.

Three of the four new buildings are to be designed by the architects Herzog & de Meuron, as was previously the case for the main building, according to a press release issued by Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. The “radically sustainable” “Hortus” office building is already under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2025. The “All” and “Cloud” lab and office buildings are also in the pipeline. The visitor-centric “Hope” building has been developed together with the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and is being built by Senn in conjunction with the Basel-based architects Felippi Wyssen, who won the anonymous competition.

Life sciences location Basel becomes more important

“It is extremely pleasing that the partnership between a public and private institution has made it possible to establish an innovation district of this size”, as Raymond Cron, Managing Director of the national umbrella organization Switzerland Innovation, states in the press release, adding that: “As such, it is not only the life sciences location of Basel that is becoming increasingly important, but also the Switzerland-wide network of six Switzerland Innovation parks”. Christof Klöpper, CEO of Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, comments: “As a private partner, Senn will make a significant contribution to attracting innovative companies to the region that support the goals of Switzerland Innovation”